


Growing Pains

by mika_does_retcon



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety, Art Student Jean Kirstein, Childhood Friends, College Student Armin Arlert, College Student Eren Yeager, Comfort, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Modern Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27777889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mika_does_retcon/pseuds/mika_does_retcon
Summary: Eren witnesses a mature side to Armin he never knew existed in response to a mild hardship in his childhood friend's romantic relationship.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	Growing Pains

Eren glanced left and right, attempting to search for his best friend's apartment indicated by a brass-plated '73' in the centre of the door. He followed the directions Armin had texted him the night prior until he found himself gently, but firmly, knocking on the wooden door. 

This was the first time he'd stepped foot in an apartment complex that wasn't the dormitories at college. Armin, along with his long-term boyfriend Jean, took the opportunity to move out of the dorms and into an apartment of their own three weeks ago. Because Jean was attending an event for a week (the exact details escaped Eren, but anything pertaining him was really none of Eren's concern) which gave Armin an excuse to invite him over until Jean returned. It wasn't a secret Eren and Jean refused to befriend each other driven by a mutual dislike for one another. They respected each other for Armin's happiness - which was presumably high on _both_ of their priority lists. 

Other than occasionally interacting - with Armin (and Mikasa, who didn't have an issue with Jean) playing mediator - Eren couldn't care less about the brown-eyed brunette. All Eren was comfortable with knowing was that they somehow met in college through mutual friends despite studying opposite degrees...and the rest was history. 

Although it was barely 8 o'clock in the morning, despite not being a morning person himself, Armin answered with an unfamiliar chirpiness. Armin assured Eren that he didn't have to come so early in the morning, but something compelled him to. Call him over-zealous, but it had been over a week since he'd seen the blonde in person, so Eren desired to quickly catch up on their missed time. 

"Hi!" Armin greeted enthusiastically. The sun practically exploded through a small window behind Armin, which added to his brightness that morning. 

"Hey," Eren squinted against the sunlight until Armin stood in front of the light considerately. "You're awfully lively this morning." 

"Is that a compliment, or an insult?" Armin playfully questioned.

"A compliment, obviously," he countered with a smile, setting his overnight bag adjacent to the doorway as he stepped into the apartment for the first time. 

Right away, Eren was confronted with boxes upon boxes of unpacked items that either hadn't been delegated a place or weren't necessities. Regardless, he sensed Armin's presence in his new home from the familiar belongings like the bookshelves from his childhood bedroom, and familiar book titles resting on the shelf or messily piled on the ground. Framed artworks ranging from moody watercolours to collages of messy sketches were leaning against the wall in preparation for when their owners decided to fix them to the wall. 

It was a small space; perfect for two. Though Eren wasn't much taller than Armin or shorter than Jean, the idea that he was intruding upon their hypothetical space made him slightly guilty. Armin must have misinterpreted Eren's discomfort for distaste at the mess because he profusely began to apologise. 

"I know! I know, I'm sorry about the mess," Armin pushed various out of the way with his foot to create a path, but the mess didn't look so out of place. There were still boxes that needed to be unpacked and various areas that needed to be tidied. Eren didn't care; his dorm room looked like a whirlwind swept up every loose article of clothing or important paper he needed behind Eren every time he opened the door. Eren wasn't surprised to see piles of books practically taller than Armin leaning against partially filled bookshelves. They were like another housemate, pleasantly infiltrating their space. 

"It's fine, Armin, I don't mind. I didn't realise you guys would still be unpacking, that's all," Eren assured.

"School has been hectic, not to mention Jean's been so busy with organising the trip with his internship. We would have done it earlier otherwise," Armin explained before leading Eren through the claustrophobic maze of boxes until they reached the kitchen. "Do you want coffee?"

"Yes, please! I thought you'd never ask," Eren excitedly exclaimed. He watched his friend tinker with a machine Eren had never seen before but was obviously quite acquainted with Armin. Considering Armin occasionally stayed with Jean during their less busy periods of college, Eren assumed the machine initially belonged to Jean, which now belonged to them both in their shared apartment. Eren realised he hadn't seen the taller brunette at all that morning. "Oh, right, where is Jean going, anyway?"

"To an art convention for the week," Armin replied. 

"Is he still here?" Eren would be respectful of him in his own home, but he wasn't going to be reserved if Jean decided to provoke him at this time of the morning. 

"Yeah; he's getting ready to go. He'll leave for the airport soon," he mentioned before turning to him sombrely, voice lowering to a cautious murmur safely obscured by the loud coffee machine. "He's _really_ nervous about this whole thing, so please don't say anything to him? He'll be too preoccupied to start an argument."

He couldn't help but feel a little offended, but ultimately, Eren understood. He wasn't a fan of Jean - and vice versa. "Yeah, sure. I won't say a word," he dutifully promised. 

"Thank you, Eren," he sighed. The request was for Jean's benefit, but Armin looked way more relieved over Eren's acceptance.

Armin handed Eren the cup of black coffee, of which the bitter smell of the coffee grinds erased any fatigue he accumulated, and took a small moment to admire the rest of his new place. The small kitchen and living room space was their frequently used areas judging by the lack of clutter, sun spilling and tumbling over the small windows, warming the cosy room with its heat and honey golden hue. Various paintings provided a colourful accent among the whites, beiges, and blacks of their furniture. One Eren recognised was the wide panoramic shot of a beach at dawn - gifted to Armin by Jean after their first year together - proudly hung in the centre of the room.

That artwork was the first to be removed from his room; Eren recalled how lonesome the single nail driven into the wall appeared when he helped Armin pack his belongings a few weeks ago. Armin's introverted nature was never entirely comfortable in the dorms. Still, this cluttered apartment, while slightly cramped, was obviously an idyllic place for him. _It's not much, but it's ours_ , Armin had humbly said when he broke the news to Eren and Mikasa. 

Eren, while overcome with pride for his blue-eyed friend, couldn't help but miss him terribly. "It's seriously boring without you at the dorms. Mikasa wishes she could've come along, but her mom wanted her home for the break," he 

"It's only been a week, Eren," he laughed.

"I mean it! A week is a long time for me. I'm happy for you, but I still miss you," Eren earnestly conveyed, watching Armin's eyes soften with the mutual feeling. 

"I miss you, too. And Mikasa, of course," Armin added nostalgically. 

Momentarily interrupting their conversation was Jean's stiff presence entering the kitchen. Tension immediately permeated the small space, but Eren didn't find this dark or unpleasant. Eren was merely uncomfortable because Jean looked more nervous and more uncomfortable than he'd ever witnessed in his life. The anxiety plastered on Jean's face and trembling fingers wasn't becoming of his usual, slightly arrogant, completely overconfident persona. Instead of his trademark smirk, Jean appeared uptight with a suit, slicked-back hair, and a grimace. While he usually stuck close to Armin with an affectionate arm around his shoulders, Jean was glued to his phone screen without a single glance towards him.

Armin must have intuited his nerves because he straightened his posture with a smile, waiting to be doting, warm, and comforting to him. As Jean finally noticed Armin's presence amidst his anxiety, his brown eyes softened with repose and overwhelming affection in an action that seemed so habitual. 

Eren realised he was witnessing - as though he were observing animals in their natural environment - a small snapshot of his best friend's romantic life that he wasn't sure he wanted access to in the first place. Of course, Eren was supportive of Armin; relentlessly so! Their usual slivers of affection never made Eren squirmish, but he couldn't help but feel he was an awkward intrusion while in their home. 

"Hey, baby," Jean greeted, voice quiet as he was preoccupied with whatever was on his phone screen. Armin didn't seem to mind, however, as he gratefully accepted Jean's thoughtful kiss on his temple.

"Leaving soon?" The blonde asked, leaning back against the stove to complement Jean's slight relaxation away from his stressor. 

"Yeah..." he trailed off as his phone sounded with an alert - a sound Jean had probably been hearing all morning. Withdrawing from Armin with a dejected sigh, Jean resumed his hunched, stressed position while rapidly typing. "Gotta deal with this. Sorry." 

"Go ahead," Armin granted. 

Jean's eyes momentarily flickered to glance at Eren's alien presence sitting at their kitchen bench before offering a subtle nod. "Hey, Yeager," he mumbled, completely unprompted, before disappearing into another room. 

While it was refreshing to not be instantly swept into an argument with Jean, his nervousness and demurity completely confused Eren. Armin wasn't perturbed by Jean's behaviour through the way his eyes lingered on the door. Seeing somebody he loved so much wrapped up in anxiety with no power to alleviate, it was probably hard for Armin. Not to mention Armin probably had his own internal worries about Jean's trip which was presumably the catalyst for inviting Eren over for the week. 

"Is Jean, uh, okay?" Eren found himself awkwardly questioning.

Armin nodded slowly, but unsurely. "He's been _so_ stressed this week," he explained, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear and glancing down at his fidgeting fingers. "Jean's boss needed to attend events in New York and invited him along. Jean assumed he'd go and see a bunch of art galleries and artists as her intern. But she's very, very enthusiastic, so she organised a lot of networking events, and meetings with more established artists who have happily said they'd review his portfolio. Basically, Jean expects to be judged and scrutinised as an up-and-coming college graduate artist for an entire week. Considering the calibre of artists in New York, he's not feeling too confident."

"That's too bad. It's weird seeing Jean like this," Eren acknowledged, attempting to be encouraging, even though he couldn't stomach him usually. "I hope everything goes well for him." 

"Me, too..." Armin hoped. His unsure expression melted as Jean reentered the room looking a little more frantically flushed. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah...I'll, um, text you when I've arrived and when I've landed," he informed, more stiff and rigid with the looming prospect of the event he'd been panicking over all morning becoming actual. 

"Alright!" Armin accepted. "Drive safely and-"

Another alert from Jean's phone interrupted Armin prompting Jean to immediately respond. Armin was _not_ happy in the slightest. 

Deciding he'd had enough of treating the situation delicately, Armin wordlessly (and very, very carefully) pulled the phone from his hand. Eren had never _ever_ seen such a disquieted expression on the blonde's face, nor seen him exercise such a daring feat against Jean of all people. He might've yelled, become enraged, or reclaim the device...but he didn't. Jean didn't move a muscle aside from the surprised expression that leaked onto his face. The sort of hidden, osmotic communication they'd developed over the years most definitely worked in Armin's favour because he was able to subdue Jean, possibly momentarily, like had somehow calmed the tempestuous storm raging within him. Eren felt as though he'd seen a magical, fascinating event that early morning. 

"You don't need to rush because you still have plenty of time before you need to be there," Armin murmured, biting his lip pensively. "Could...could you please be a _little_ more present with me before you leave for the week?" 

His request seemed to strike a chord within Jean judging by the guilty scowl he adopted.

"...sorry," Jean muttered. With the couple obviously in the midst of quarrelling tension, Eren was rendered uneasy. He began to conjure up an excuse to leave for a few minutes until he accidentally caught Armin's eye. 

The blonde's lips parted again to speak once more, perhaps intimately or apologetically, but he gestured to the front door instead. "I'll walk you out, okay, Jean?"

Unfortunately for Armin, who was quite obviously embarrassed to give Jean an encouraging pep talk with an audience, Eren could partially see them and hear them by the door. Eren internally apologised to Armin and attempted to drown their voices out as much as he could with social media and coffee...but it was a borderline impossibility no matter how hushed their voices were. 

Armin shattered the silence with a voice so soft, so sweet, so novel that Eren couldn't help _but_ be curious. "Relax for a minute. You're going to wear yourself out before you even get on the plane if you torture yourself like this," Armin urged under Jean's harsh sigh. 

"It's hard _not_ to think about it! What if they don't like me, or anything that I make? I'm just a stupid kid compared to everybody else..." Jean mumbled insecurely. 

"You're _not_ a stupid kid; you're an artist, just like them," Armin insisted. "They've been in your position before. They all started exactly where you are. They'll know how nervous you are."

"Logically, I know you're right. But there's such a high chance they'll hate what I make," the taller brunette countered. 

"There's also an equal chance of them liking your work and may even give you some constructive criticism or advice," he pointed out. 

"Yeah, I guess..." Jean considered.

"If they don't like what you make, then it isn't the end of the world! You always say that art is subjective, so what they like and dislike isn't absolute. Nobody's going to ban you from the industry or galleries or meeting other professionals because _one_ person doesn't appreciate your art. Right?" Armin emphasised, obviously expecting an answer. 

"That's right..." Jean's shaky tone indicated he almost allowed more insecurity to pass his lips but decided against it to fully absorb Armin's comfort. 

"Your boss says you have great potential and is so supportive of you," the blonde suggested. "Do you think she would put you in such a potentially harsh situation if she didn't believe so?"

The way Armin talked to Jean to calm his nerves was similar but entirely different, to how he would comfort himself or even Mikasa. A tenderness was clearly evident in Armin's tone when he spoke to Jean in comparison; like a loving, supportive partner. Was this a common occurrence throughout the week? Was Jean a naturally anxious person who was effortlessly soothed by Armin? Eren could practically feel their bond and mutual trust like heavy chains bounding them together through the way Jean _himself_ was entirely and utterly transparent with his feelings, and how confidently Armin carried himself to willingly bear the weight of Jean's worries on his slim shoulders. 

"Probably not, but..." Jean trailed off once more. 

"Everything's going to be okay. This isn't a career-defining moment, so the only thing you have to do is be polite, be attentive, and be charismatic - and I know you can do it well," Armin persuaded gently. "The only thing you can do after this is to continue to improve, independent of whether people like or dislike your work. Take advantage of this opportunity."

"...yeah. You're right," Jean agreed, sounding _a lot_ happier than he had a few minutes ago. "Thank you; that means a lot. You always know what to say."

"I'm just glad you're feeling more secure," he sighed with his own cathartic relief. They didn't speak for a while, which prompted Eren to check on them only to discover they were hugging before Jean had to leave. 

"I'll call you every night, alright?" Jean promised.

"Please do. Remember to have fun, too," Armin advised before chuckling lightly. "Wait, you look so uncomfortable like this. I thought you were going to an art convention, not a business meeting."

"Just because my boss wears what seems like eccentric pyjamas to work every day doesn't mean _I'm_ allowed to look informal at a formal event," Jean responded humorously. Armin, with Jean's unspoken permission, began dishevelling Jean's clean, professional appearance. 

Beginning with Jean's hair, Armin carefully ran his fingers through the hardened gelled strands until it was sufficiently ruffled. "You should display _some_ sense of individuality, though," he countered, voice growing soft and movements from his hair to his collar slowed down. They came to a complete, lingering stop after he unbuttoned Jean's top button and loosened his tie. "...it looks sexier, too."

The green-eyed man quickly averted his eyes at Armin's words, face suddenly hot with embarrassment. One could only _imagine_ the expression on Armin's face by the anthemic grin on Jean's face. Deciding to retreat to the opposite side of the apartment for privacy the moment they kissed, Eren was struck with a sobering realisation; Armin, his childhood friend, the boy he spent what seemed like every waking moment with and knew everything about, had grown into a proper adult without him realising. Eren assumed he'd grow with Armin their whole lives but he'd subtly grown _with_ Jean in a way that wouldn't have been possible with Eren. 

A few minutes later, after the quiet and sentimental _I love you_ and _I'll miss you_ sappiness finally ceased, Armin eventually returned. The sound of the door closing softly alerted Eren as he gazed towards the doorway in time to watch Armin weave through the maze once more. "Hey, sorry about that," he immediately apologised, looking a little brighter and breathless. 

"I don't mind, it's alright," Eren reassured. He was entirely honest in his convictions, too. Though neither of them brought it up, Eren wasn't about to admit that he'd heard virtually everything they talked about. But, in a strange, secretive way, Eren was somewhat _glad_ to contain this knowledge because it assured him that Armin was making the correct choices for himself. 

He indeed _had_ witnessed something magical that morning.


End file.
